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-
Insomnia
- Prevents sleep.
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Super Luck
- Critical hit rate is boosted by one stage.
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Prankster
- Moves that do not deal direct damage have their priority increased by one level.
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Level 5 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
60
|
- |
22 |
25 |
- |
| Atk |
85
|
13 |
15 |
18 |
19 |
| Def |
42
|
9 |
10 |
13 |
14 |
| SpA |
85
|
13 |
15 |
18 |
19 |
| SpD |
42
|
9 |
10 |
13 |
14 |
| Spe |
91
|
13 |
15 |
18 |
19 |
Overview
Though once outclassed, Murkrow has benefited greatly from the buffs provided by Prankster and Eviolite. Eviolite greatly boosts Murkrow's lackluster 60 / 42 / 42 defenses into something much more manageable. With Prankster, Murkrow has access to priority Taunt, FeatherDance, Roost, Thunder Wave, and Perish Song, making it an ideal stallbreaker. However, Murkrow is definitely not without its flaws, as even with Eviolite, its defenses are still subpar. Its typing is also not the best defensively speaking, as it leaves it weak to many common attacking types and neutral to Fighting-type moves. Though all in all, Murkrow is definitely a good choice should you ever be in need of a stallbreaker.
Murkrow fills the niche of being the only Prankster Pokemon that is able to Perish Trap. The strategy of this set is to trap one of your opponent's Pokemon, preferably a wall that your team has trouble with, and proceed to Perish Song, causing it to faint in three turns. Roost is essential, as Murkrow needs to be alive in order for Mean Look to remain in effect and prevent your opponent from switching out. The fourth moveslot is essentially a toss-up between Protect and Substitute. Protect is a guaranteed way to burn off a turn, making it the more reliable choice; however, Substitute keeps Murkrow status free, which allows it to possibly come in late-game and Perish Trap another Pokemon into oblivion.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
You can choose to make Murkrow either physically or specially bulky, since its defenses are the same. Investing in Murkrow's physical defenses tends to be the more popular option, but a 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD EV spread with a Calm nature is viable. A specially defensive spread allows Murkrow to reliably check Choice Specs Exeggutor, something not a lot of other Pokemon can claim. The nature should always be an attack-reducing nature in order to minimize possible confusion recoil. Taunt or FeatherDance are options for the fourth moveslot, but they are more often than not the inferior option. The main draw to using Perish Trap Murkrow is its ability to reliably eliminate a wall from the opponent's team, so including a Pokemon that can sweep once a problem wall is gone would be a good idea. An example of a good teammate would be Swellow, which can sweep once the opponent's physical wall is KOed. Murkrow is easily capable of trapping and KOing Probopass, Klang, Alomomola, and Bastiodon, opening a sweep for Swellow.
With Eviolite and priority FeatherDance, Murkrow is capable of being a fairly decent physical wall, capable of shutting down some scary threats such as Sawk. FeatherDance lowers the opponent's Attack by two stages, which easily patches up Murkrow's lackluster base 42 Defense. Roost is there to make sure that Murkrow is in good health, as it can't take too many hits even with FeatherDance. Taunt is there in order to shut down Pokemon who utilize setup moves, such as Musharna and Tangela, while Brave Bird prevents Murkrow itself from being Taunt bait. Substitute is a viable alternative over Taunt, as it helps Murkrow scout the opponent's moveset and easily prevents any status effects.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EV spread is designed to make Murkrow as physically bulky as possible, which works great in tandem with FeatherDance. 248 HP EVs give Murkrow an odd HP number so it can switch into Stealth Rock four times. Murkrow users still need to be wary of switching into physical attackers, as a strong super effective hit will really put a dent in Murkrow, even with Eviolite, due to its poor defenses.
In terms of other options for this set, Thunder Wave can be used over Taunt in order to cripple Gorebyss if it finds a way to set up. However, a Murkrow that lacks Taunt is basically setup fodder for Spikes users such as Garbodor, so Taunt is usually the better option.
With Murkrow's ability Prankster, access to recovery moves, and decent Special Attack and Speed, it makes a fine setup sweeper. Murkrow also has a decent defensive typing, being able to take hits from a variety of attacks, switch into Psychic-type Pokemon with the right prediction, and come in against unprepared Fighting-types with FeatherDance. Paired with Eviolite, it can set up much more easily. Its goal is to set up with Calm Mind and sweep with Dark Pulse, using Substitute, FeatherDance, or Roost as it sees fit. Murkrow does well against many top-tier Pokemon such as Musharna, Gardevoir, Exeggutor, and Roselia. Murkrow can also beat Pokemon such as Golurk and Zangoose in a one-on-one situation with FeatherDance. It can take a max Attack Iron Fist Ice Punch from Golurk; in fact, it's only 2HKOed by it, after Stealth Rock damage. Psychic-types, such as Gardevoir and Musharna, are much easier to handle with this set; however, Murkrow can't safely switch into any Psychic-type Pokemon out on the field. Gardevoir, for example, can still check it with Thunderbolt if they predict the switch in.
Roost heals off any damage, and will almost always go first due to priority. Dark Pulse is Murkrow's main (and only) STAB move for this set, dealing great damage to the foe from the Calm Mind increase. The fourth moveslot depends on your preference. FeatherDance is the overall best option for Murkrow, as it gives it more opportunities to set up Calm Mind by lowering the opponent's Attack, which makes it easier to set up against physical threats. FeatherDance and Calm Mind make a great combo with each other, together allowing Murkrow to set up against physical and special attackers and preparing Murkrow for almost any situation it may stumble into. Substitute, on the other hand, allows it to avoid status and set up on Pokemon such as Alomomola, Lickilicky, and Tangela, none of whom can break Murkrow's Substitute. However, it makes it more difficult to set up against physical attackers. They both have their pros and cons, but FeatherDance allows you to set up on a bigger range of Pokemon.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The 248 HP EVs allow Murkrow to survive four switches into Stealth Rock. The Defense EVs plus Eviolite make it's defenses soar to acceptable heights, enabling it to take several hits. The Bold nature raises Murkrow's Defense as much as possible, since it need the defenses it can get. However, if you aim for power, Modest could be used in its place with a 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD EV spread. Eviolite is the only viable item at this point, as without it, Murkrow would have pitiful defense even with the EV investment.
Murkrow doesn't need a spinner to remove Stealth Rock, as it has support moves such as Calm Mind and FeatherDance to prevent a KO, and it can Roost to heal back HP. However, if you wish to have one as a teammate, Shell Smash Torkoal and Swords Dance Armaldo are great options; they can both break Ghost-types that give Murkrow trouble, such as Misdreavus. Foresight Wartortle is also a good choice as a spinner, since its Foresight can ignore their Normal-type immunity and go for the Rapid Spin against Ghost-types. Wartortle can also carry support moves such as Haze and Toxic to stall out the opponent, and shut down any setup Pokemon that may interfere with Murkrow. Psychic-type Pokemon overall also make great partners to Murkrow; they can handle the Fighting-types Murkrow has trouble with, like Gurdurr and Sawk. Clerics are also great aids to Murkrow; they help Murkrow deal with status moves that could potentially ruin its chance at a sweep. Vileplume, Musharna, and Gardevoir are by far the superior choices, due to their high bulk.
Musharna and Sawk are also great partners for Murkrow. Musharna can handle the Fighting-types Murkrow occasionally struggles with, while Sawk deals with the Dark-, Rock-, and Steel-types Murkrow can't get past and prevents Stealth Rock from being set up. Musharna is a great partner alongside Choice Band Sawk as well, as Musharna can handle the Poison- and Psychic-type Pokemon Sawk can't. Pokemon with the abilities Volt Absorb and Lightningrod, like Zebstrika and Raichu, can take the Electric attacks aimed at Murkrow. Golem can check all of Murkrow's weaknesses with the appropriate moveset, set up Stealth Rock, and defeat Pokemon like Regirock and Rotom-S. Bulky Pokemon, such as Eelektross and Lickilicky, are good partners as well, as they can take powerful attacks that Murkrow cannot absorb; however, they must look out for Sawk, who can power his way through. They can come into attacks Murkrow can't take from Pokemon such as Braviary, Rotom-A, and Zangoose.
Murkrow possesses decent offensive stats, which means a mixed set is quite viable. It has an amazing base 91 Speed, which outspeeds almost everything in NU other than Choice Scarf users. Powerful dual STABs in Brave Bird and Sucker Punch—the latter of which has priority in order to deal with faster opponents and Choice Scarf users—make Murkrow a dangerous threat. The last two moves are mostly filler, but both provide excellent coverage. Heat Wave hits the Steel-type Pokemon that would otherwise wall it, while Hidden Power Grass hits the many Rock-types for a good amount of damage. Roost may be used over one of the special coverage moves in order to heal off recoil from Brave Bird and Life Orb, but as Murkrow is so frail, it usually does more harm than good anyway.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
A Naive nature along with maximum investment in Attack and Speed makes the best use of Murkrow's stats. The remaining 4 EVs go into Special Attack to give Heat Wave and Hidden Power a little extra punch. Unfortunately, Prankster is illegal with Heat Wave, so you must use one of the other two abilities. However, this isn't a complete loss, as this set utilizes mostly attacking moves, meaning that Prankster isn't too helpful anyway. Insomnia prevents sleep and works well against the numerous sleep-inducers in the tier such as Tangela. Super Luck is more situational, but it pays off well when its effect of increasing the chance of a critical hit occurs. Teammates such as Wartortle, Armaldo, and Torkoal that can rid Murkrow of the troublesome Stealth Rock are handy. Murkrow also appreciates entry hazard support, as 85 / 85 offenses aren't exactly the best when it comes to sweeping. Substitute can be used, but it usually isn't worth the coverage loss.
Other Options
Murkrow has access to a ton of support moves. Confuse Ray is an interesting choice, as it prevents your opponent from attacking 50% of the time. Murkrow also has access to Haze, which can make Murkrow a good check to setup sweepers. However, the most deadly setup sweeper in the tier at the moment is Gorebyss, and Murkrow doesn't enjoy taking even a neutral hit from it. Murkrow can also function as a weather inducer, but as Murkrow is unable to utilize Damp or Heat Rock while holding Eviolite, it is usually outclassed. Finally, Tailwind or Thunder Wave can be used for team support, the latter being a good way to cripple Gorebyss if it manages to get off a Shell Smash.
Checks and Counters
While Murkrow is a decent wall, it isn't very hard to muscle your way through it. Any Pokemon with a powerful super effective move, especially a special one, has a good chance of beating Murkrow. Pokemon such as Eelektross, Rotom-F, and Beartic all stand a good chance of beating Murkrow, as Murkrow really can't switch in on any of these Pokemon. For the Perish Trapping set, any Pokemon with Volt Switch or U-turn will end Murkrow's games very quickly, as both avoid the effects of Mean Look. Finally, Taunt will completely ruin Murkrow. If you can Taunt Murkrow as it switches in, then you are almost guaranteed to have rendered Murkrow useless.
